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Polybius · The Histories §18.19.1-18.19.12

Approach of the Armies and Skirmish near Pherae

Passage 908 of 1311 · Greek

Summary

The armies of Titus and Philip V approach each other near Pherae, and after a near-encounter between their advanced guards in the dark, a fierce skirmish breaks out between their reconnaissance forces the following day.

§18.19.1πλὴν ὅ γε Τίτος ἑτοιμασάμενος ταῦτα πρὸς τὰς ἐκ τοῦ καιροῦ χρείας, προῆγε παντὶ τῷ στρατεύματι βάδην, ἀποσχὼν δὲ περὶ πεντήκοντα στάδια τῆς τῶν Φεραίων πόλεως αὐτοῦ παρενέβαλε.
But Titus, having prepared these stakes for requirements arising from the occasion, advanced with his whole army at a slow pace, and encamped about fifty stades away from the city of Pherae.
§18.19.2κατὰ δὲ τὴν ἐπιοῦσαν ὑπὸ τὴν ἑωθινὴν ἐξέπεμπε τοὺς κατοπτεύσοντας καὶ διερευνησομένους, εἴ τινα δυνηθεῖεν λαβεῖν ἀφορμὴν εἰς τὸ γνῶναι ποῦ ποτʼ εἰσὶ καὶ τί πράττουσιν οἱ πολέμιοι.
On the following day, near dawn, he sent out scouts and reconnoitring parties to see if they could get any starting-point for knowing where on earth the enemy were and what they were doing.
§18.19.3Φίλιππος δὲ [καὶ] κατὰ τὸν αὐτὸν καιρὸν πυνθανόμενος τοὺς Ῥωμαίους στρατοπεδεύειν περὶ τὰς Θήβας, ἐξάρας ἀπὸ τῆς Λαρίσης παντὶ τῷ στρατεύματι προῆγε, ποιούμενος τὴν πορείαν ὡς ἐπὶ τὰς Φεράς.
Philip, at the same time, learning that the Romans were encamped near Thebes, set out from Larissa with his whole army and advanced, making his march towards Pherae.
§18.19.4ἀποσχὼν δὲ περὶ τριάκοντα στάδια, τότε μὲν αὐτοῦ καταστρατοπεδεύσας ἐν ὥρᾳ παρήγγειλε πᾶσι γίνεσθαι περὶ τὴν τοῦ σώματος θεραπείαν, §18.19.5ὑπὸ δὲ τὴν ἑωθινὴν ἐξεγείρας τὴν δύναμιν τοὺς μὲν εἰθισμένους προπορεύεσθαι τῆς δυνάμεως προεξαπέστειλε, συντάξας ὑπερβάλλειν τὰς ὑπὲρ τὰς Φερὰς ἀκρολοφίας, αὐτὸς δὲ τῆς ἡμέρας διαφαινούσης ἐκίνει τὴν δύναμιν ἐκ τοῦ χάρακος.
Encamping on the spot, about thirty stades away, at an early hour, he ordered everyone to attend to their physical needs, and having roused his forces near dawn, he sent forward those accustomed to precede the army, ordering them to cross the hills above Pherae, while he himself moved his forces out of the camp as day was breaking.
§18.19.6παρʼ ὀλίγον μὲν οὖν ἦλθον ἀμφοτέρων οἱ προεξαπεσταλμένοι τοῦ συμπεσεῖν ἀλλήλοις περὶ τὰς ὑπερβολάς·
Thus the advanced guards of both armies came within a little of colliding with each other near the passes.
§18.19.7προϊδόμενοι γὰρ σφᾶς αὐτοὺς ὑπὸ τὴν ὄρφνην ἐκ πάνυ βραχέος διαστήματος ἐπέστησαν, καὶ ταχέως ἔπεμπον, ἀποδηλοῦντες ἀμφότεροι τοῖς ἡγεμόσι τὸ γεγονὸς καὶ πυνθανόμενοι τί δέον εἴη ποιεῖν.
For, having descried each other in the darkness at a very short distance, they halted, and both quickly sent messengers to declare what had happened to their leaders and to ask what they ought to do.
§18.19.8ἐπὶ τῶν ὑποκειμένων στρατοπεδειῶν κἀκείνους ἀνακαλεῖσθαι.
(They were ordered to remain) on their current ground, and to recall those men.
§18.19.9τῇ δʼ ἐπαύριον ἐξέπεμψαν ἀμφότεροι κατασκοπῆς ἕνεκα τῶν ἱππέων καὶ τῶν εὐζώνων περὶ τριακοσίους ἑκατέρων, ἐν οἷς ὁ Τίτος καὶ τῶν Αἰτωλῶν δύʼ οὐλαμοὺς ἐξαπέστειλε διὰ τὴν ἐμπειρίαν τῶν τόπων·
On the following day, both sent out about three hundred of their cavalry and light-armed troops for the purpose of reconnaissance, among whom Titus also dispatched two squadrons of Aetolians because of their knowledge of the country.
§18.19.10οἳ καὶ συμμίξαντες ἀλλήλοις ἐπὶ τάδε τῶν Φερῶν ὡς πρὸς Λάρισαν συνέβαλλον ἐκθύμως.
These, having met one another on this side of Pherae, in the direction of Larissa, engaged in a spirited combat.
§18.19.11τῶν δὲ περὶ τὸν Εὐπόλεμον τὸν Αἰτωλὸν εὐρώστως κινδυνευόντων καὶ συνεκκαλουμένων τοὺς Ἰταλικοὺς πρὸς τὴν χρείαν, θλίβεσθαι συνέβαινε τοὺς Μακεδόνας.
As Eupolemus the Aetolian and his men fought vigorously and called upon the Italians to join in the action, the Macedonians happened to be hard pressed.
§18.19.12καὶ τότε μὲν ἐπὶ πολὺν χρόνον ἀκροβολισάμενοι διεχωρίσθησαν εἰς τὰς αὑτῶν παρεμβολάς·
And on that occasion, after skirmishing for a long time, they separated to their respective camps.

Notes

  1. §18.19.1παντὶ τῷ στρατεύματι — A dative of accompaniment (specifically military accompaniment) used with verbs of marching or movement (here προῆγε) to denote the force accompanied. In classical Greek historical prose, this dative is commonly used without the preposition σύν.
  2. §18.19.2τοὺς κατοπτεύσοντας καὶ διερευνησομένους — Attributive future participles following a verb of sending (ἐξέπεμπε), expressing purpose: "those who would spy out and explore" or "to act as scouts and reconnoitre."
  3. §18.19.6παρʼ ὀλίγον μὲν οὖν ἦλθον ... τοῦ συμπεσεῖν — An idiomatic expression consisting of παρʼ ὀλίγον ἔρχομαι followed by a genitive infinitive (here the articular infinitive τοῦ συμπεσεῖν), meaning "to come within a little of doing something" or "to narrowly escape doing something."
  4. §18.19.8ἀνακαλεῖσθαι — This sentence contains a lacuna in the manuscript tradition, lacking a main finite verb. The infinitive ἀνακαλεῖσθαι functions either as an infinitive of command or depends on an omitted verb of ordering, representing the reply to the inquiry in the previous sentence.
  5. §18.19.11τῶν δὲ περὶ τὸν Εὐπόλεμον ... κινδυνευόντων — A genitive absolute construction. The subject of the participle is the genitive phrase τῶν περὶ τὸν Εὐπόλεμον ("Eupolemus and his men"), which is distinct from the subject of the main clause (οἱ Μακεδόνες), functioning here to express cause or attendant circumstance.

Cite this passage

Polybius, The Histories §18.19.1-18.19.12. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0543.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:18.19.1-18.19.12

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